Coreless operating cable



Dec. 13, 1949 c. M. zERR CORELESS OPERATING CBLE Filed March 8, 1948 JNVENTOR. har/e5 M Z @fr Arrows.

Patented Dec. 13, 1949 Charles M.` Zerr,

Union Wire Rope Corporation,

Independence, Mo., assignor to Kansas City,

Mo., a corporation of Missouri LAmiliatnm March s, 194s, serial No. 13,580

' v 4 Claims.

l This invention relates to the fabrication and construction of operating cables, it being understood by cable as meaning composite structures such as moving, hoisting or stationarlr lbridge cables and composed of straight, stranded yor twisted elements bound together to form a unit and produced from metallic substances.

Such cables are conventionally formed in a number of various ways, but usually consist of a number of stranded wire ropes, each consisting of a number of strands made from a plurality of metal wires, laid or helically bent around a suitable core member.

To those skilled in the art, cable construction and variances in combinations of its component y elements have come to mean the number and arrangement of the ropes and strands thereof and the number, sizeand arrangement of the Wires in the strands.. Heretofore a generally uniform pattern has been followed and consisted of bending the wires helically in one or more layers around a core wire to form a strand. These strands were then similarly laid around a center or core made of hempen ber of various grades, of an independent wire rope core, or a stranded core. formed was then similarly laid about a suitable heat or core.V

It is the most important object of this invention therefore, to provide an operating cable.

wherein the usual core about which the wire ropes are laid is eliminated and where the core for the individual wire ropes about which the strands are laid is also omitted.

The primary aim of this invention therefore, is to provide an operating cable made froma vnumber of wire ropes, each made of a number of strands, and the strands themselves being formed from any number of wires.

Other objects of this invention are to'provide an operating cable that has a high degree of exibility as compared with the conventional wire cable; that is extremely resistant to crushing; that is capable of production from relatively The wire rope thus larger individual wires to more effectivelywithr- -stand surface wear; and that cannot become Vdamaged from klnking. I

Other objects and aims will become apparent during the course of the following specication reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a coreless operatingcable made in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross sectional view taken on line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional View taken on line III-III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view similar to that shown in Fig. 2 but showing a modied view of my present invention.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional View similar to that shown in Fig. 2 showing another modied form of the invention; and g Fig. `6 is a cross-sectional view like that of Fig. 2 showing another modication thereof.

This operating cable is broadly designated by the numeral I0 and made from a plurality vof l to 3 inclusive of the drawing. It is notable that any of well known lays may be used instranding the ropes I2 in lieu of that illustrated without departing from the broad principles herein intended. l

Each of the wire ropes I2 is composedrof three strands I4 suitably laid and using conventional helicoidal constructions, and each' of these strands I4 is produced by helically bending a number of wires I6 in the usual manner.

The wires I6 are helically laid together around a core wire in a symmetrical position to form the unitary strands I4, the number of wires I6 varying from three to several score if desired. The 'ropes I2 however, are coreless, the strands I4 being simply laid about the longitudinal axis of each rope I2, and the ropes I2 are laid about the longitudinal axis of cable I0 without the use of a core.

From the foregoing it readily becomesapparent that a cable has been developed that is far superior inmany ways to those commonly produced. The life of a wire rope or of the cable made therefrom, is inuenced directly by the life of its core. In the case of help bersof vegetal origin, rapid physical and chemical deterioration takes place particularly when subjected to rotting and other deteriorating elements.

Furthermore, axial pulls and bending stresses upon the core have great effects on cores and pass over small sheaves and also capable of short reverse bends in complicated machines and implements.

Secondly, cores are easily crushed and smashed out flatly when the cable is placed in strenuous use. Actually, such cores become eliptical in cross section and usually -pass between adjacent strands of itheirope when wear'comrnences. When such core finally breaks, the cable is virtually incapable of further use. Elimination of the cores solves these problems. Y i

A third advantage of the present cable llies in its abrasive resistance. By omission of the cores, the individual wiresy I6'can be appreciably Y larger in cross sectional diameter without aproducing a large, bulky cable than would result from use of such large wires in'theconventional cable. Obviously, surface wear becomes much less damaging when the Wires I6 themselves have more wearing area. y K

Kinking is a fourth primary problem jin `usual Vtypes of cables. Kinks lcannot `be successfully 'removed and once such condition exists the cable vbecomes.permanently damaged. Cable fabove fdes'cribed can bekinked lto theeXtentof'actually `tyin`g v'knots thereinto and such kinks leasily removed without dama-ge thereto. Y, For many'usestherefore, the operating 'cable "frrning the Ysulfijectma'tter of this invention has many advantages. Typical examples are slings, excavating machinery, c'oncreting machinery, vder'ric'ks, tackles, clam-shell buckets, fpower fshv'els andthe like. Many types of clam-shell 'buckets'for instance have relatively small sheaves over "which the cable 'must pass, requiring high Xbili'ty "Also, 'machines having 4long booms pr'esent Surfaces 'against which {'the4 cable continually slaps` 'and yY"pc 5i.ric s, 'causing Vsurface "'dan'ag'e 'ef'r'rel'to in the trade "as peeninglf' vBecause of the formation of cable ,I0 'as above fdescribed, "suohabrasive wear "does not shorten 'life `thee`f aS *Quickly as llifl 'Conventional "cables y .I A

Figs. "2 and Y"3 *ofthe drawingfiuustfate but two of "the many possible views when sections Iare "taken Av'transversely Vtl'rough the -cable I0. 'Ihese 'views illustrate h'o'w itis possible to attain symmetry though 'no "core 'is used and sho'w how, in this typeof 3 X 3 cable, no 'supportis'n'eeded "either Yfor the strands I4 or theropes l2. The other function of 'a core fi. "efas a Lbfe'aring, is i not needed, 'since the 'surface Lwearl Vof ja vcable iis usually more important andbauses break-'down Ybefore wear due to rubbing together of 'individual strands. f v y In Fig. 4, a cable |00 "isfillustrated in section ,'onlygsh'owing anumber of individual 'stranded 'wires l ll`2fforming` strands I lill,A the'latter of 'which VAare laid together 'to presentl ropes 106. In this casethree ropes I'Eii are-used to form cable |00 Vand'each ropellG'B hastwostrandsli. v y

im mig. 5, a "cable *con 'comprises ih're'e 'ropes "202, "eachmade up of 4four Vvvstrands v'204,"w'hi`ch 'in "turn are formed by stranding a number ofwires L206.

fFig. Vf6 A'illustrati-g es the same broad principi@ aboveioutlined, but'fshowing' a cable 300 having tsl four ropes 302. These ropes 300 include two strands 304 each and strand 304 have a number of wires 306 forming the same.

Thus, illustrations have been made of a 3 x 3 cable, a 3 X 2 cable, a 3 x 4 cable and a 4 X 2 cable. Other possible combinations include a cable having two ropes with two, three-or four strands feach; andzfour ropes withthree'or four strands each. In each case, there is no necessity for a core since the supporting function thereof is not :needed and the many advantages set forth above b'y-its omission, will result.

f'scribe'd comprisingai-plurality of-elements bound together Vto lform .a composite,'elongated unit,

'said elementsbeing stranded `rabout the longitudinal axis of said unit, said elementsveach-comprising a number of wire ropes-said ropes `each comprising a `plurality o'f identical, `core'less 'strands helicallylaid about'the longitudinalaxis thereof.

3. An operating cable 'df ythe `character -described comprising a pluralityof.lementsbound together to form a'c'omfposite, relongated coreless unit, saidielements 'bein'gstranded about '.thelon- .gitudinal axis of 'said unit, -said'elernerits Leach "comprising 'a number of wire ropes, said ropes each comprising 'a`plu'rality of s'trandsfhelically vlaid v'about the 'longitudinal 'axis thereof, said vstrands "each comprising a 'number v0f"l'1elically `bent wires.

4. An 'operating .cableof "the 'character described comprising a composite,'coreless unithavinga 'plurality 'of lhelically laid wire ropes, sai'd ropes ea'ch"bein`gjcoreless'and'comprising 'a number of helically laid s'trands,"said 'strands each comprising fa plurality vvof stranded iwires.

CHARLES ZEER.

"REFERENCES GITED lfThe following referencesiare .of record in -the le of this patent:

UNITED? STATES PATENTS "Number 

